Another Thin Line
by LittleLottexoxEriksTrueAngel
Summary: AU EC After running away from the only life she has ever known Christine finds herself the captive of a mysterious masked man. When the two find love will Christine's secret bring them closer together or tear them apart forever?
1. The Overture

Title: Another Thin Line

Author: LittleLottexoxEriksTrueAngel

Chapter One: The Overture

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And she ran. Ran as fast as she could away from the men chasing her. Ran as fast as her short legs would carry her. They wouldn't catch her now, she had gotten this far she couldn't let them stop her.

_Where can I go now?_ She thought, worried and panicked as the two men's footsteps grew nearer and nearer. Finally she turned down a dark alleyway; running towards the back of the alley she found it was a dead end. _'Shit! Shit! Shit!'_ She screamed to herself in her head. _'What can I do now?' _It was too late to turn back now; they would definitely find her and force her back. The thought of what _he_ would do with her when _they_ brought her back sent shivers up and down her spine and she knew she had to get away. She frantically ran up, down and around the alleyway trying to find anyway to escape, but found none. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest as she heard them call to one another,

"Where is the little bitch?!?" one yelled.

"How am I supposed to know?!?!" The other yelled back angrily.

"Just shut up!" The first snapped in reply. "You go this way and I'll go the other way."

'_Oh, God…Oh, God…Oh, my God!...what if one of them comes down this way?!?' _She began to panic and hyperventilate clutching at her chest, gasping for air. Shakily she pulled her backpack tighter around her thin shoulders trying to think of any way out…_'If only there was a door…'_

_Thump…Click…Thump…Crunch…Click…Bang...Thump…_

She heard one of them get closer and closer to the alley where she was hiding. The young woman desperately clawed at the walls trying to find a way, any way to get as far as possible from these cold, menacing men. They were getting closer; she could hear them, their voices and actions taunting her…_ Thump…Click…Thump…Crunch…Click…Bang...Thump…_Their shouts echoed on this cold, dark night. Suddenly the wall gave way beneath her and she fell into a dark hallway, She stood only to fall within the next second head first down a flight of stairs and into the arms of a stranger…

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**AN: So What do you all think? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Please let me know what you think! Flames welcome as always! ** Please review…it's the best medicine for sick authoresses!!!! 3 

©2007


	2. I'm Getting Up Now

Title: Another Thin Line

Author: LittleLottexoxEriksTrueAngel

Chapter Two: I'm Getting Up Now…

----------Bring----------Bring----------Bring----------

The alarm sounded signaling an intruder. Someone had opened the secret entrance to his home, but how did they find it? And more importantly, who found it? The masked man sighed coiling up his lasso and concealing it within the folds of his cloak. He had heard the screams, even from the basement, but didn't think that those men would involve them. Well, whoever those men were, they would be dead by the end of the night. Suddenly a scream echoed through the stairwell, followed by a serious of banging, making him stop dead in his tracks. Someone was falling down the stairs. The man moved quickly catching, what he realized was a young woman, before she hit her head on the hard, cement ground.

She stared up at him for a minute, her eyes widening before slipping into unconsciousness. So this was who they were after…

He shuffled the girl in his arms, she was one, if not the, most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had curly, chestnut curls and was pale complexioned. Her cheeks were still flushed from her fall, giving her even more of an innocent appearance. She felt like a feather in his arms, she was so light. He felt like he would break her, like you would a porcelain doll, if he held her too tight.

Carefully, he flicked on the lights and entered the elevator. He pressed the top button sending the elevator into motion towards his penthouse.

He examined the girl more carefully in the light. There was just something about this girl that he couldn't quite place, like something about her was different. He sighed. No woman would ever be different. No woman could ever love him for what he was…a monster. Yes, there would always be the woman who wanted him for his money, but those women would fill the empty void in his heart. A part of him felt that this girl could be different but he would never give in to that feeling.

The girl twisted herself around in his arms, mumbling something incoherent in her sleep. The elevator doors opened and he carried her into the guest bedroom. Something would have to be done about this girl….

♪▪♫▪♪

_I was running towards the flicker of light, but I could not find it. All there was only darkness. A never ending darkness that frightened me more than I could ever describe…frightened me to the core, but still I kept on running towards the light and away, far away from the life that I had know before…before…before what?_

♪▪♫▪♪

_**I'm getting up know  
the sun is burning my eyes and I ache  
I'm living on a, freeway, running low on heart and good mistakes**_

The pain shot from my head through my body like a knife. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy. I could barely remember what had happened, all I remember was running, running and more running away from them but more importantly _him_… _He_ who I was supposed to call my flesh and blood, one of the only people that I couldn't stand. The one person who is supposed to make me feel the safest was the one person who I was afraid of. And, yet, I did what I did to protect him but I ran because I was afraid of what he would do to me because I did it. I ran away from the only family that I had left in the world…the person who had hurt me the most. It was all so confusing; my throbbing mind could not handle it. I tried again to open my eyes. They fluttered open and closed a few times, the light shining through, temporarily blinding and burning my eyes. My entire body ached with pain from my apparent fall. Then all the memories of the previous nights came flooding back at full force. The men _he_ had hired to find me and bring me back, the sick man that _he_ wanted me to marry and the masked man that had caught me when I fell. Suddenly, I snapped out of my trance and shot up in the bed I was in, finding I had no idea where I was. I scanned the beautiful room, the masked man was standing in the far corner…

A/N: So what do you all think? LEAVE A REVIEW! The words that are bolded and underlined are lyrics to the song Another Thin Line.


	3. Who Am I?

Title: Another Thin Line

Author: LittleLottexoxEriksTrueAngel

Chapter 3: Who am I?

_**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Phantom Of The Opera' but I wish I did…**_

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_The masked man was in the far corner…_

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I was so confused…so I did the only thing that I could think of. I screamed. Then, I couldn't control myself I started screaming and rambling, on and on I went. I could have been like that for hours and it would not have made a difference. The masked mans face never changed, it remained unreadable, and it didn't make me feel any better, it just made me tired and gave me a sore throat.

"Are you done yet?" The man snapped, bringing me out of my revere. Instantly I stopped rambling, I stopped screaming, I stopped thinking. My mind felt numb yet tears pooled down my cheeks and my body just wouldn't stop shaking. I knew then, in that moment, that I was going to die. _He_ hated me, hated me more than anything, and _he _wanted me dead. This was my punishment…for being like her…

I was frightened, yes, who wouldn't be in this situation? I was scared, but at the same time I was peaceful. _He_ had made my life a nightmare ever since that fateful day when she finally succumbed to the cancer that she had been suffering from for years. I was a means to an end.

I stared at the man before me with a new resolve…I was going to die, he was going to kill me…there was no way around it.

The man was watching me intently now, like he was studying me. He made no move to say anything else to me, he remained mute. A part of me hoped that he would say something else; his voice had been so beautiful, so angelic when he spoke earlier…

Oh, God what was I thinking? This man was going to kill me! I should not be thinking about how beautiful his voice was! I started talking again to keep myself from thinking…

"You're going to kill me now aren't you?" My voice was dull and emotionless, I didn't sound like myself. He just continued to stare at me. "Yes, of course you are. _He _wants me dead, _he's_ always wanted me dead…well, not always but….now _he_ does." I was rambling again, I knew it. "_He_----"

"I'm not working for any _he_." He mimicked my voice as he said the last line. I was confused and I knew that it showed.

"Let me see how I can explain this in a way that you can understand." He said sarcastically. I glared at the strange man. "I found you in the basement last night…trespassing." My face remained emotionless as he added the last bit. I didn't remember…all I remembered was running and being afraid, so afraid of someone…of _him_. "I brought you up here, you were unconscious, you had fallen." He explained, then abruptly closed his mouth and began to study me again. I shivered under his unrelenting gaze. He noticed. His eyes grew colder and his demeanor changed drastically.

"Ahhh…I frighten you don't I?" he murmured, seeming to be in a far off place…in a memory. "Erik frightens everyone doesn't he?" he said angrily, his voice growing in vibrato as he stalked towards the bed that I was occupying. I scrambled backwards into the headboard hastily trying desperately to escape him, but to no avail. Forcefully, he pulled me up by my fore arms and my protests and struggles did not faze him. His strong hands were unnaturally cold as they touched my heated flesh. His grip never faltered. He forced me to stand before him, roughly straitening my posture before stepping back.

"Do you sing?" He asked his voice suddenly calmer.

"Wh-ha-what?" I stuttered from my trembling lips.

"Do you sing?" he repeated, a little more forcefully this time.

"Yes!" I squeaked.

"Sing for me." He stated, now emotionless.

I closed my eyes…what could I possibly sing that would please him? More importantly, why does he want me to sing? My thoughts immediately flew to my mother and the songs that she used to sing and the stories she used to tell me about Little Lotte. One song immediately came to mind, it was part of one of the Little Lotte stories…I parted my lips.

"_Funny the thoughts I have at night_

_So different from the thoughts I have by day_

_The moment Mama switches of the light_

_A thousand different questions come my way _

_And stay_

I didn't know what I was doing anymore. All I knew was that I had to sing and I had to please this man…even if he was going to kill me I just _had _to please him.

_Who am I?_

_Was it all planned in advance or was I just born by chance in July?_

_Oh, who on earth am I?_

_Have I ever lived before as a mountain lion,_

_Or as a fly?_

The man appeared shocked to say the least. I knew I didn't sound as good due to all of the screaming and crying I did. I closed my eyes, being mindful of the higher notes, remembering the emotions in which my mother would sing the song…

_My friends only think of fun_

_They are all such incurable tots_

_Can I be the only one,_

_Who thinks these mysterious thoughts?_

I felt myself smile despite myself remembering my mother…

_Some day I'll die_

_Will I ever live again as a robin or a wren,_

_Or a lion in a den,_

_Or a rooster or a hen,_

_Or a fly?_

I took a small breath. That some day was now and I knew it… With that thought I sang the final line of my final song…

_Oh, who am I?"_

My eyes fluttered open to find the man standing an inch before me. I shivered at the proximity. He reached his hand up to my neck, goose bumps formed beneath his hand. I froze. Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…I attempted to pull away, but his grip on my neck tightened. My mind was not functioning properly, I was struggling for air. All of the sudden I wasn't so resolved to die. Something inside me had clicked. My instinct to protect myself took over. I struggled, my hand connected with the masked side of his face. The white mask fell to the floor.

I instantly hit the hard ground. His face….oh god his face. The skin was mangled, twisted, and scared. It was almost transparent, his cheek bones were visible. As soon as I could breathe again I let out a blood curdling scream.

Suddenly his bony fingers coiled into my hair yanking me up off the ground and pulling me closer to his body. Our faces were mere inches apart. My eyes snapped shut.

"Didn't you want to see?" he yelled angrily. Obviously, I didn't answer his question. He continued, taking my silence as an answer. "Yes? Then, LOOK!" My eyes remained closed. Tears, once again, pooled down my cheeks. I shook my head wildly in the negative.

"Open your eyes!"

No…No…NO…He shook me by my shoulders. I still didn't open my eyes.

"OPEN YOUR EYES!" I obeyed him…what choice did I have really?

Oh!...What a terrible sight! I screamed. I attempted to pull away from him again but he grabbed my wrists. He brought my hand up to his face, running it over the mangled flesh. The feel of the skin underneath my palm made me sick. I shut my eyes, willing this to all be some bizarre dream…it wasn't.

I was dropped to the ground. I was breathing heavily, and I kept my eyes shut. For a few moments there was an uncomfortable silence, save for his harsh breathing.

"You can open your eyes now." He said, sarcastically and icily. I did.

The man towered over me. Timidly, I looked up at him. The mask had been placed back on his face. I didn't move from my spot on the floor. I was weak, tired, scared….

"You now know Erik's secret." He stated, just as calmly as someone would speak of the weather. "Now you can never leave here."

With that, he turned on his heal and walked towards the door.

I tried to say something, to do something, but I found myself temporarily paralyzed.

The door shut and locked in place.

I was alone…completely and utterly alone…

♪▪♫▪♪

_I'm living on a, freeway, running low on heart and good mistakes  
I'm taking it to...living, just living all the lives I have to live_

♪▪♫▪♪

**A/N: First, I would like to ask you all to _Pleeeaaaasseee…_tell me what you think of this chapter (and the story) in a review! It only takes a few seconds…press the little button! Secondly, I must give credit to Leonard Bernstein who wrote the song 'Who am I?' that Christine sang in the chapter. It is from his musical 'Peter Pan' and is performed by Linda Eder on the musical's soundtrack. The lyrics at the end of the chapter are from the song 'Another Thin Line' as performed by Alexz Johnson on the Instant Star Season Two soundtrack.**

_**© 2007**_


	4. Shock

Title: Another Thin Line

Author: LittleLottexoxEriksTrueAngel

Chapter Four: Shock

_**Disclaimer: I don't own The Phantom Of The Opera, but I wish I did.**_

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_The door shut and locked in place. _

_I was alone…completely and utterly alone…_

♪▪♫▪♪

**_I'm playing off this feeling knowing that it's time to be forgived_**

♪▪♫▪♪

The only word that I could use to describe what I was going through at that very moment….shock.

My whole entire life had _spiraled out of control in a matter of hours_…My whole entire life had been _changed in a matter of minutes_…nothing would ever be the same….

I pulled my legs up, resting my chin on my raised knees. My arms dangled lifelessly at my sides.

I cried.

After all that had happened in the past 24 hours, the only thing that I could do was cry. I was pathetic. My situation was hopeless. Life as I knew it was over.

I remained like that for hours…it could have been days or weeks or merely minutes for all I knew. There was no way to tell time in the room that I was occupying at the moment.

Yes, time slowly ticked by as I remained in that position on the floor.

Soon, I had cried so much that my eyes seemed dry. They drooped, willing me to close them and to keep them closed. I moved back slightly, leaning against the wall…my eyes slowly closed…

Sometime later, as I said there was no way to tell time in the room, the door quietly creaked open. I slowly opened my tired eyes to watch what the man was doing…I was frightened that he would rape me or something, come on…wouldn't you be worried too if you were in my situation? I watched as he placed something on the desk at the front of the room. He turned and looked at me.

"I know that you are awake." He stated as I snapped my eyes shut. His voice was still beautiful, but it had a strange hint of sadness to it. Was it because of what I had done?

I had no right to feel any guilt for what I had done to this man. _He_ is the one keeping _me_ prisoner in this strange place…in the darkness that frightened me so… No, I shouldn't feel this guilty. I had done nothing but try to protect myself….yet why did it feel as if I were suddenly the bad guy? Why did just those simple words affect me so?

But what could I do to rid myself of this strange feeling of guilt? Apologize? Would that in turn help me earn me freedom from the man…from this place?

He stared at me thoughtfully, wondering what I was going to do next. I sighed.

I whispered brokenly, staring at the floor, "I'm sorry."

"False apologies will get you no where with me, _Christine_." He spat. "You will remain here."

He spoke with such finality that it was pointless to argue. Arguing would get me nowhere and it made me feel…well, I do not know if I could even describe it. It was the strangest feeling that I had ever felt. A mix of fear, anxiety…and so many different, unfamiliar emotions combined. I shivered at his cold, venom filled words.

"There is a bed in the room. Use it." He said, then swiftly exited the room.

I stared at the closed, locked door for a few moments before dragging my limp body over to the bed. I soon lay on my back atop the unfamiliar bed, staring into the darkness.

The strange man did indeed puzzle me.

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_If I could only come around (I'm looking in the black)_

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**A/N: This was a short chapter because it was sort of filler. What do you all think about the story? I'd love to know what you all think…leave a review! Come on, press the little button, you know you want to: ) And once again, the lyrics used at the beginning and at the end of the story are from the song 'Another Thin Line' off the Instant Star season two soundtrack.**


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